LOL I was teasing of course. I ordered the Cerinth from the Summer Hill co-op and I'm sure they're just as labeled.
I'm in the middle of a 2nd salvia sowing. I didn't do the pre-soak caviar step last time and hopefully that's why my germination wasn't so great. Crossing fingers for lots of Coral Nymph and LIR seedlings now.
Gardening: Cottage Garden Seed Swap & Chat #30
I'm glad you mentioned Salvias, I gotta get some more Coral Nymph soaking to sow tomorrow. I'm not going to start any LIR seeds, I've got 3 plants in the plant room that have had blooms all winter long. I'm just going to take cuttings and skip seeds altogether with those!
Show off.
:-P
LOL!
? Do you pre-soak salvia seeds for winter sowing or just for indoor starts? I figured the freeze-thaw action of winter sowing would do the same as a pre-soak... and I was just holding a packet of 'Coral Nymph' in one hand and a milk jug in the other, so I need to know! LOL
Jill I've never pre-soaked salvia in the past, that's one of the little gems I learned from this crew. Hang on 'til somebody with more experience comes along....hopefully any minute now.
I just found a bud on my passion vine yes a nice bloom in a couple of weeks the new fertilizer I bought 10-30-10 high number in the middle as I was told is working lalallalalal
I am so happy im singing lalallalalallalalal
I soak any seed that is as big as a columbine seed for two hours use warm not hot and it speeds up germination like my morning glories up in three days and daturas up in 4 days not 14 to 21 days
I keep checking when I see the seed is swollen with the water I carefully plant it makes it quicker and easier since then the seed is larger
I soak as you're describing for seeds I'm starting inside or direct sowing in spring... but with winter sowing, I don't actually want the seed to germinate now, because it'll probably perish if it does.
you are very right it is better in winter sowing to let nature take its course
Only for indoor starts here, I don't soak anything that I wintersow.
The Coral Nymph I started a few weeks ago had low germination, so I'm starting some more and soaking them this time.
but that is for indoor growing right it should work it will give you a more uniform germination
OK, thanks! I wanted to make sure I wasn't missing something... glad to confirm that pre-soaking and winter sowing are "either/or" techniques. :-)
winter sowing if done indoors you can soak the seeds but if you are sowing and putting them outside then no I have many flats on the deck perennials like columbines and poppies I just sow then put them out they will come back in but not for three weeks or more so no soaking for them it would kill the baby inside the seed
soaking seeds is only for seeds with thick coating/shell to make germination quicker and more uniform to fake the seed into believing it is in its element to stimulate the baby inside to sprout a root and start growing
google to see if its recommended for a particular type of seed
I use it mostly for things like peony seeds and tree seeds and large hard coated seeds
Hey Critter - someone here had pre-soaked some salvia seed a few threads back and they got exuded gooey gel coating some seeds get so they were asking about that. Lea said presoaking them was fine (the only things I think she doesn't presoak are the teeny seeds) and the gooey stuff was actually showing viability in the salvia seeds. I, of course, did not soak any of mine, preferring the tried-and-true Crossing Of The Fingers methodology, followed by a beer celebration.
On the presoaking subject, I looked up Giberillic acid as a presoaking compound (some seeds require that) and discovered the reason that G. acid works is it kick-starts the seed's growth chemicals. H2O2 is a weaker form, so presoaking seeds in that does sort of the same thing, only milder - I guess sort of like the difference between the Smurfs and Pee Wee's Playhouse.
On that note, I will be pre-soaking my lantana seeds in H2O2 today before planting them tomorrow, and starting to look for small containers to use for presoaking, and debating whether or not I need to buy H2O2 in larger containers :) I also have to get my little angle file to nick the canna seeds I want to start.
Terese, I wish I had an answer for you on the Strawberry Fields. I've got some from a trade and they sprouted - they looked like little flat disks with paper edges. I harvested some from mine this past fall, but none have sprouted so I'm not sure I've got them planted correctly. Why is it the seeds you take the most care with frequently ignore you, and the ones you inadvertently drop into a tray sprout without a dang thing but water and being completely ignored??
oh ya now you got it hahhahahah I got red delphinium seeds at an outrageous price for 10 seeds and I am still waiting on those but the pacific giant delphs are all up but those I got cheap hahahah so I think the more you look and want them to grow the longer it takes hahahah just like the darn pot that never boils hahhahah
I'm a big fan of the Crossing of the Fingers method! ;-)
My problem with soaking is I usually end up leaving the stuff in the water longer than I am supposed to. Then I end up with bad seeds. I am better off just sticking them right in the soil.
Robin you are so funny LOL I'm going to have a beer celebration because STAR my lisianthus seeds are starting to sprout! :))))) Now if I can just keep them living until they get big enough to transplant! The last time I grew them I had a bunch to sprout but only ended up with two I want more for this year to plant with my orange bells that I got from Tuink, I bet those are going to be really pretty together, George (Ansonfan) sent me some Eco Blue ones they should come up next and I have some 'Fire' begonias that are starting to come up from George too :))) Now I need to get my butt in gear and get some more seeds planted LOL
Robin, good luck with those lantana seeds, have you had luck with them before? I finally gave up on trying to grow them from seed esp. from traded seeds so many of them aren't viable the Camera one is suppose to be viable and that's the only one I know of it's hard to find those for sale anymore, believe it or not I had one come up out front that I tried to save a couple of years ago and was waiting to get seed off of it and it got too cold for them and I missed the seeds anyway it came up so late and wasn't expecting it because the sun is not hitting there as much as it used to.
I wonder if you soak tree seeds for a couple of days in almost pure peroxide I could go ahead and plant some tree seeds that I got a while back I'm awful late getting them planted! I should be spanked lol I know they probably won't be any good for next year and just found them in the fridge, duh! If the peroxide is just a milder soak maybe I have a shot of them coming up. The price you pay for having seeds sitting everywhere! Guess I don't have anything to lose if they won't be good next year anyway.
I presoaked almost everything last year I was a soaking fool but I did end up with better germination. This year I'm afraid to because of these darn kittens in the house if the soak spills they will get into my lights and that would be a disaster! The only place I have to soak them is on top of my hoods or I have a table top set of lights that I have seeds under now with a mat going and the kittens can get up there too is there anywhere these darn kittens can't go! lol Last year I had them soaking on my cable box in the tv room but this year I have that room shut off trying to keep the heat in a couple of rooms only. I also had a stove with a pilot light that I could put cups of seeds on but this stove I have now has an electronic ignition so no pilot light :(
Crssing fingers is good Critter but it's kind of hard to type that way LOL
Lol lea. Yeserday I went to a local garden center, they were getting ready for a flower show. I go to see full grown lupines, delphiniums, mallows all geting ready to bloom. They had tons of other stuff too full grown heuchera and iris to many to say, and Mandevillas in flower & other vines that I can't tell you what they were. It was so fun, I even got to smell some sweet peas and a Jasmine. I wanted to buy it but it was so beautiful I didn't want to take the chance I'd kill it. It was so happy in that warm sunny greenhouse. My house is dry and lowly lit in comparison. I did get a start of a Magagascar Jasmine, which I am excited about. Now I need to find a hoop to train it on. Any ideas?
ok first of all when soaking seeds they do not need light so cupboard with a closed door will stop the kittens from getting to them so go for it
I just use water to soak most seeds
now I know that tree seeds are different I usually moisten peat moss and put some and the seeds in a baggie and zip it and put in the fridge till they germinate and then plant them I have all kinds sitting in the fridge like cherry, peach, plum, apricote, nectarine, all of the one called stones they will germinate when ready and then I will plant them in pots till the fall and then into the ground for winter and mark them so they dont get cut by lawn mower like the last ones lol no one to blame except me I did it lol hahahhahah
That's going to be a heavy vine right Meredith? I've never seen one of those, something heavy, hmmm have to think about that one for a while :) I need to make a visit to our big nursery here and see what they have going on now that sounds so wonderful to see and smell all those wonderful smells! I've never planted one of those heavy vines unless they are in the ground, do you have any cedar trees around? I'm on a kick of chopping limbs off of those because they last forever and using them for vines but being in the house maybe if you do have those trees or access to them maybe you could find you a good branch.
My mentor Bill, went around my yard out back the other day and took a couple of branches that fell out of the trees from the ice storm the other day and I have a cedar branch that I didn't get in the ground last year yet laying by the shade garden I was so afraid he would pick that one up cause I knew he would get the branches but he left it there thank goodness, it's so hard to find the good ones to put vines on :) The small branches at the bottom might be good for the house.
Sciccierllia, I remember someone else on here from last year that kept shrub and tree seeds in the fridge, I don't get into mine that often so when I put seeds in dirt in there it usually freezes, maybe I can keep them in the cheese part or butter part? lol
I always think I have to have the seed cups soaking on something warm guess I could put them in the cabinets, thanks never even thought of that :)
Speaking of running over by the lawn mower, last year I got hung up on a wild rose bush in the bird garden and was trying to get untangled from it when I ran over my black adler holly that someone sent me! First the rabbits or deer trimmed it for me in the spring and then I ran over it, I have another one planted on the other side and it's was about two foot by the end of the summer I was just checking on the one I ran over and it's only about four inches now lol I'm just glad I didn't lose it! I don't know why but I think I have a thing for hollies, I have a total of six now, four different kinds lol
Hello hello! Have any of you ever started gerbera seeds? After trying them unsuccessfully 2 years in a row I'd given up, but Kelly has some experience and sent me some viable seed. However I don't think she's been around for a few days and I need some mentoring. I've researched my little heart out and think I have them planted correctly ('pointed end' down) and I think I want to put them on the mat. But how much moisture do they like? Should I dome them? Any ideas?
its almost impossible to grow any in my zone so I would not even try holly but I have a black alder if its like other thing that by mistake I have chopped to the grown it will be a wider one and will catch up and get just as tall it just made it get stronger in the root by being cut back down
mona
Germinate the seed using a system that maintains humidity as close to 100% as possible. Use bottom heat to maintain 70 to 75F media temperature. Some growers will place trays in plastic bags or utilize fog systems. Others use germination chambers at 73 to 75F for four to five days. Trays should receive at least 12-hours per day of incandescent light while in germinating chambers. After 7-14 days from sowing or when complete germination has occurred, remove the plastic bags and move the seedlings into the greenhouse.
Growing-on
Night temperatures for growing-on seedlings in the greenhouse should be 68 to 72F. At this point, protect the seedlings from full sun by providing light shade (30-40%) and a high greenhouse humidity (70-75%). During dark periods of the year, supplemental HID lighting will speed seedling growth. Apply HID lighting for at least 14-hours per day at 300 to 500 foot-candles.
Begin fertilizing the seedlings using a low ammonium fertilizer (15-5-15) when about ten days from germination. Gradually increase the fertilizer concentration up to 100 to 150 ppm nitrogen. The young foliage is sensitive to fertilizer burn so rinse the foliage with clear water immediately after fertilizing. Watch the medium pH to see that it does not rise above 6.2 or below 5.5. High pH typically results in micronutrient deficiency. Low pH can result in calcium or magnesium deficiency. Some growers transplant seedlings to large cell-packs, 2½-inch pots, or Jiffy-Strips about a month after sowing or when they have two mature leaves.
these seem like a lot trouble to start from seed good luck
mona
Glad you got the seeds Lala! I'm lurking :) Not that I'm terribly experienced, just lucky. I started them in a dome, on the heat mat, under lights. I put some of them flat if I wasn't sure which end was up :) The soil almost never dries out until I take the domes off.
Here are my Gerbera babies, started 1/21. Let me know how yours do!
Helps if I attach the photo :)
Does anyone have an opinion on the distorted looking ones? I've got a few that have some strange leaves. I keep thinking that the next leaf will be normal, but they don't seem to be yet...
ok so where are they no pic dear hahahha
different color of flower that all
or it maybe that those will have all twins like two blooms attached
I would not worry about it, surprise for you when they bloom
you did amazing with them they look so nice and healthy
Lala, don't feel bad if your gerbera seeds don't germinate. I gave up on mine from the swap after a month. I left them moist on the heat mat and under a dome and lights, but after I decided they weren't going to germinate, I sprinkled poppy seeds on top. They haven't germinated either!
ok so what is next in that one flat hahahahah
I have never done that I usually just put the thing aside and start a new flat sometimes I get surprises weeks later lol
if they are perennial seeds when I give up I put them out on the deck or in the garage most eventually grow something hahahhah
I'm very excited! What a surprise when I learned I could collect the seed from my VERY overpriced plants I grew from seed last year! Yeah! No more paying for Gerberas :) Now, I just need a few more colors... might have to splurge on a plant or two of some strategic colors this summer, for their seed! I think the gerberas alone have paid for my Dave's membership this year...
that is why any perennial I want i just get a pack of seeds usually about 50 or more seeds in a package if I get one plant it is great since the packages cost about 2 to 4 dollars and if I get more plants all the better since one perennials is usually anything nice will cost over 5 dollars some up to 15 dollars it is so much cheaper to start them from seed and both of my sisters do the same thing so we talk and buy different ones and share all the plants
if something new is on the market and no seeds available we will also only buy one between the three of us and share the seeds in the fall
we live pretty close but belong to three different horticultural associations so we can trade with different people and share between us lol it is working out great
klstuart, look at your babies I'm sure you are a proud momma! You all make me feel so guilty because I can't get the lead out of my tail lol But I have been busy with life and it does bite :) I am trying to get it together now things are calming down a bit so we'll see where I am this time next week lol
Thanks so much ladies! Kelly your babies look incredibly happy....congratulations!
(Hi Lea)
I have been collecting and growing seeds for about 17 years I am known among my friends as el cheapo and I tell them to bow to the smart one hahhahaha
very few plants do not make seeds but some the seeds are so small we miss them lol like mimulus have never been able to find a seed that is monkey flowers but then I got smart and put the pots in the basement and then I bring them out in may, when I start to water them the plants grow lol should have thought of that before but trial and error is the way, annuals are called that since the cycle of plant to bloom to seed is all in one growing season so it is usually a matter of looking for the seeds and voila
I will even knock on door asking if I can get this or that seed from their garden if its something I do not have and I collect seeds from public parks and anywhere for that matter that I happen to be and seeds are sitting on a plant I will just take a seed head
one of many will they miss it no way so
I always have little containers I get from the dollar store I just keep a few in my pocket and that way they dont get lost and I will add a little paper with the name or description of the plant and flower
You're definitely a member of DG's elite seed snatchin' club! See if any of this sounds familiar to you... http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/248/
;-)